What a trouper

If I don't travel back to Castlemaine late Sunday Night, I make my journey early Monday morning and it is during these early morning returns that I have come across and inspirational man...I have never spoken to him, I have no idea what his name is but I love him...he is the older guy that goes for his morning job down the Calder freeway and waves at the cars.



At first I though he must have known the people he was waving at, but no, he waves to everyone. But not only does he wave, but he waves while giving the biggest grin you could imagine. Seriously he is a legend and every Monday morning...and perhaps other mornings too he runs, smiles and waves and I think makes peoples day. I know he definitely lifts my spirits...



So to you old running dude...you are a trooper and I think you are the best, thanks for waving at me as I drive back to Castlemaine, you always make me a little bit happier.




I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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The Toilet door

I have been going to Box Hill Salvos pretty much since I was born…there were a few years I couldn’t go, mainly coz I was living in America, but for the rest of my life I have been at Box Hill. I have been there so long that it feels like home, I don’t think that there is anywhere I haven’t been in the hall. Everything about it is familiar, and that’s the way I like it. I know the pressure of the taps, which light switch does what, where to get the good cordial from the fridge…everything, even the weight of the doors…or so I thought…

I am not sure when it happened exactly, but a few weeks ago I noticed that there was something different about the toilet door. I couldn’t work out exactly what it was, all I knew was that I couldn’t just run in like I had for the past 22years. It takes more effort to get in there now and I think I have finally worked out why that is.

I think that the door has a new hinge thing at the top… you know the thing that makes the door swing shut? I think it has a new one of those and the new one is stronger than the old one…It makes me work much harder to get into the toilet than the old one did. I am not sure why there is a new one, but I am almost 100% sure that what it is. It’s kinda annoying really, I have a 22 year habit (well maybe 18…but still long enough) of applying just the right about of pressure to that door and all of a sudden its not enough…its really strange and every time it throws me. I know its just door and I should get over it, but 18 years of habit can’t just be wiped. I feel like I need some kind of program to help me adjust. If fact I wonder if I will ever adjust? Is anyone else having problems with the new door? Or was I the only one that noticed? Who was responsible for this change? Why did they have to change the door? Did it break or was it just to throw me off? I need some answers…and perhaps some help.





I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Mr G

Today I made a fool of myself…which is not surprising, except for the fact that this time I brought down a 6year old kid with me.

Today was the Salvos Divisional Kids Big Day Out, so as Kids Church Coordinator I went along with the kids from Box Hill and everyone had a great time. Being a divisional event there were kids there from a number of different salvo corps, so naturally we had to where name tags, which the kids made themselves using a texta and a sticker…clever I know. Anyway, a few of the kids that came with Box Hill had brought friends along and trying to be a good leader I made it my business to introduce myself to each of them. This was working quite well until I came to a little girl whose name tag appeared to say ‘Mr G’. I took a moment to have a think about why the tag would say ‘Mr G’ and remembered that the adult she had come with (one of the kids Church parents) was named ‘Graham’, so I put what I thought was two and two together and figured that perhaps he was known as ‘Mr G’ and she was wearing his name tag. So in my wisdom I went up to her and introduced myself and asked if she was having fun, and then proceed to say… ‘I haven’t met you before, my name is Emma, what’s yours’ hoping to get some clarification on the ‘Mr G’ situation. However, it turned out she was a little shy, so she just looked at me and pointed at her name tag. So trying to be cool, and welcoming, I responded ‘Mr G, that says Mr G, that’s not your name is it?’ a little dumbfounded the little girl just looked at me and then at her name tag and pointed again. Very confused by this stage I repeated (just in case she hadn’t heard the first time) ‘Mr G? really?’ and still dumbfounded she looked at me and walked off. Feeling even more confused and a bit defeated I turned around only to find Dustin and Jess in fits of laughter…Jess then explained to me that the tag didn’t say ‘Mr G’ at all, it actually said ‘Meg’ and she had written it herself but she was only 6 and couldn’t write very well.

So feeling very embarrassed I went and found Meg to apologise, I explained that I couldn’t read very well and that I was sorry, but also suggested that perhaps well just called her ‘Mr G’ anyway, coz I was a pretty cool nickname. But she graciously declined. So the poor girl will probably never want to come back to Kids Church again, now that I have humiliated her, I didn’t mean it…and you think perhaps Dusty and Jess could have said something earlier…but never mind…in my heart she will always be Mr G.

Oh and just for the record…Kat came later on in the day and also thought the tag said Mr G…In fact you can make up your own mind...I have drawn a little picture of what the name tag looked like...tell me that doesn't say 'Mr G'...
I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Date Day

I am a little bit of a princess, I know that its hard to believe but its true, and today….actually wait, stop reading…I need to issue a warning for this blog…if you don’t like romantic stuff…stop reading and come back tomorrow, because I don’t want to turn you off the whole blog because of one soppy blog…seriously, if you aren’t into romance chick flick style…off you go…

Ok, so for those that are left…(if any) today I had a ‘date day’. Date days used to be quite a regular occurrence for Dave and I, Once or twice a year Davo would take me on an all day date, usually to somewhere in the city, or to do something I have been talking about for a while. They are always wonderful and Dave does a great job at planning it all and generally making me feel like a princess. Anyway, I hadn’t been on a date day for a couple of years, mainly because I completely wrecked the last one by being grumpy, crying and falling asleep (sorry Dave). So bravely Dave had another go and it was lovely, even though the weather was terrible.

The day started with scones at the Sky High Café at Mt Dandenong, from there we headed into the city and because it was very cold and a little rainy we went to DFO instead of to the beach and luna park. After a quick dinner on South bank, Davo took me (thanks to nessa) to the top of the Eureka tower where I was able to go out on the edge and almost poo my pants from fear…although the view was amazing. We then finished the night at the movies at crown… It was really nice, but I think the nicest bit of the whole day was the fact that I just got to spend some time with Davo, just us, without having to be somewhere or doing something later, just us all day. So thanks Davo, you really are amazing and I love you stacks. That’s for treating me like a princess...oh and sorry I could fix the weather…

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Loch Ness

I really love mysteries...or maybe I am just gullible I am not sure, but when I saw this article on the web today it sucked me in a got me thinking...maybe the Loch Ness Monster does exist...

I think I would really like it to, I like the idea that 'fantasy' and 'fiction' can actually cross over into reality and not just with bad stuff like the crime that you see in the movies then happening on the streets. I like the idea that fairy tales are real and that as Disney would say 'all your dreams can come true' and I feel like this article about the Loch Ness gives me hope.

The article suggests that google, of all things, has spotted Nessie using their satellite...its pretty cool, and I know that all you sceptics out there will tell me it could be anything, but I like to believe it really is the Loch Ness...

I know the picture looks very digital, but you never know...but it does keep the dream alive

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

(oh and if you want to read the full article...click here)

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Drought? Are you sure?

So here is the thing…all the time I am being told to save water and turn off taps which is all well and good, but the reason they give me is that we are in a drought. But what I don’t understand is, if we are in a drought how come it rains all the time…I don’t know if its just a Castlemaine thing, but seriously its always raining, my backyard is not more like a mud pit…now don’t get me wrong, I like rain and I know that on the whole we need it…but surely the drought is broken…how much rain does it take? Can’t I just be saving water because its not good to waste…or is there really still a drought. All I know is it rains a flipping lot for there still to be a drought on.


I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Sucking Face

Somethings are just rude...and here is one of them, tonight after a lovely day with Davo at Calder Park, Brunch on Lygon street, an afternoon of crazy singstaring and dinner at Doncaster, Kat, Brad, Davo and I went and saw Harry Potter.



The movie was great...except for one thing, the couple sitting in front of us were kissing pretty much the whole time. Actually no, not kissing...sucking face and not pretty much the whole time, just the whole time. It was funny at first and kinda gross and then really annoying and rude. It wouldn't have been so bad if they were subtle, but they weren't. In fact they were so unsublte that we could hear them.


Now I thought that I would give them the benefit of the doubt and say 'maybe they were just teenagers that were madly in love and were two young to know better', but they weren't there looked about my age which is very much old enough to know better.


I just don't understand why they would come to the movies just to kiss...seriously, the movies are expensive! And if they were coming just to kiss, why pick a sold out movie at a popular cinema. Why not go and see some art house film, at a dodgy cinema on a monday afternoon, where you won't be annoying anyone, and if you do annoy them there will be enough seats avaliable to move away.

Seriously gross...i still can't believe that we could hear them...where is a cold bucket of water when you need it?


I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Davo...my V8 super car champion

So I was pretty sure that Davo was the best boyfriends could get, but today he impressed me again. Today Davo drove a V8 supercar, and looked pretty friggin awesome in his race suit. I don’t know who loved it more, Dave or I? I don’t really have much else to say other than I loved it…and as pictures speak louder than words…here is some pictures and a video.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Chink in the Chain

I apologise that this is yet another blog about the dog, Dexter. But tonight I am really really mad, in fact I would even go as far as saying I am irate! Dexter and I are no longer friends, and I don’t know if we ever will be.

What on earth has he done I hear you ask? Well on our way home tonight I thought he was being good, just sleeping on the seat or playing with his toys, but no he was actually chewing through my seatbelt…yep that’s right through my seatbelt. Now my seatbelt has three little chinks in it. Mum tried to convince me that it doesn’t mater, but I’m not convinced…I think seatbelts are little like chains…they are only as strong as their weakest part…and now passenger seatbelt, has weak points…man I am so very very very cranky. In fact I am pretty much cranky pants megee!

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Dog walking

As I have mentioned before Dexter whinges constantly, so today when I got home I thought in order to give him a little bit more attention and to wear him out a little, I would do something that I thought all dogs loved. I took little Dex for a walk.

Now, I was under the impression that walking was a dog was a great idea, but apparently not… Dexter didn’t like it at all, in fact he whinged the whole way to the post box and back. But as if whinging wasn’t enough, Dex thought it would get my attention if he jumped at my legs the entire way there and back. Seriously, you would think that he would love it…trust that I have the only dog in the whole world that hates going for a walk. Well is going to have to learn to like it, there is just no other option. I will not have a dog that doesn’t like to walk…it simply will not do.

I had big plans for this dog, high fiving, shaking hands, playing dead…but no, he can’t even walk. What on earth do I do now?

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Planning and organisation makes the world go around

Maybe it’s just me but sometimes just sitting down and writing a list came make you feel a whole heap better.

This afternoon, after an amazing lunch at the Wynne’s house, Dave and I sat down with Jude, Brad and Kerryn to start organising the YP Anniversary…and apart from coming up with what looks like a ripper evening on the 24^th October, I relieved a whole heap of stress.

It’s a amazing how much a little bit of planning and organisation can help, it’s a bit like when you are a little bit stressed at work, how just tidying your desk can make everything seem better. Or if I am feeling overwhelmed at home, how just tidying my little house and writing a list can make all the difference. Its silly but it's a great feeling.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Happy Birthday Jess

Just a quick post to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESS

I think you are a gem and I am so glad that you are part of our family!

See told you it would be quick.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Breakfast

I am normally not very good at breakfast, I know shame on me...I call myself a dietitian, but its true, I always have breakfast, and its always nutritionally sound, but its an effort. But ask me to go out for breakfast and I am in like flyn...and so thats what I did this morning...and of course I loved it.

This morning I went out for brekky with Kirsten and Pheebs and it was lovely. I don't know what makes it so nice, i mean it did help that the weather was lovely, the food was lovely and of course the company was lovely, but I think there is just something about going for breakfast that is nice.

Perhaps its because breakfast is usually such a boring mundane meal for me? Or perhaps its because I can have pancakes, or if I am really lucky scones? I really don't know, and actually I don't really care why, just as long as it doesn't change.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Catching up

So about my day of leisure...it turned out to be a little busier than that...here's what I got up to on my much anticipated ADO

This morning I went and baked a cake with kitty. The cake was for Dusty's birthday...and it didn't turn out a exactly as I planned. Instead of being a Mocha Choc cake, it was a little more like a Mocha Choc brownie...neither Kitty or I are sure were we went wrong. But even though the cake didn't turn out, it was still super nice to hang out and just catch up with Kat, and to hear all her stories from her trip…even if we didn’t come up with a way to travel around the world and make massive amounts of money.

From baking with Kitty, I went back to Billy Hydes for lunch and to catch up with my favourite print friends...It was heaps of fun, hearing and seeing what had changed, reminiscing on the good old days, I was sad to learn that my desk had become a bit of a dump site, but it was nice to see that my winning tickets from galactic circus were still on display.

After the print department was sufficiently stunk out by hot chips I headed to the hall to meet up with Mum and Tania. We had afternoon tea in café salvo, which is always nice and had a chance to just chat and catch up with Tan.

I then raced home and got ready for my final stop for the day…Dusty and Jess’ 21^st dinner. During which I wrote a small speech to share at dinner…because no one should get through their 21^st with out a speech of some kind.

So there you go not quite a day of leisure…but a day well spent.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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ADO = love it

Today and tomorrow I have ADOs…I think that stands for accrued day off…anyway, I get one a month, but this time I have saved two and I am using them together which means I am having myself a little holiday. One that I have been hanging out for, for a long long time. In fact I am really really really super excited about having some time off. Coz here's the thing, I have been working full time for over 3months now...that's about 12-14 weeks...and for the last...well all of my life before this, if you work/do something for that long you get at least one week off, and my body is telling me its time for the semester break! Maybe I am just getting used to this whole full time work thing, but I tell you what, its not all its cracked up to be… in fact it kinda sucks...you just have to keep working and working and working and if you do actually have a break it means you then have to go back and keep working and working and working, until you have done enough hours to get another one.

It probably doesn't help that my weekends fill up too, with all the things I didn't have time to do during the week getting done on Saturday and Sundays being chockers with church stuff. Maybe part of my problem is there is no 24hr Kmart in Castlemaine, and everything else shuts at 5 so I can't do odd jobs and shopping during the week, coz there is only so much you can get from the IGA.

I think when I get a bit older and can pick and choose more, and perhaps have someone else’s income supporting me too, I will work part time…or maybe full time, but split over two jobs. I just don’t think that I was made to be a Mon-Fri 9-5 kinda girl. Or perhaps I could get a job in a profession with lots and lots of paid holidays. I don’t know, but what I do know is…full time is not for me. So for the next two days I am going back to my life of leisure and I am going to love every minute of it.

On a completely different note…my good buddy kitty got back from her massive trip gallivanting around the world today…so I just wanted say welcome home kitty kat, I have missed you stacks!

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Dusty's 21

Today is Dusty's 21st Birthday...so to celebrate we went out to dinner to a resturant that Dustin has wanted to go to for as long as I can remember...the Lobster Cave.

The Lobster cave does most of it advertising on 3AW...which I am sad to confess as a family we listened to both before and after school for most of our high school lives. If we weren't on the bus, we were in the car with mum and 3AW, in fact Jake is probably still exposed to this cruel and unusual form of torture! Anyway, unlike me, Dusty loved it and from listening to 3AW, he fell in love with one of their sponsers the lobster cave...and can...still to this day quote the address and specials of the resturant by heart.

So that's were we went...and I tell you what...it was pretty good...well actually very good, probably the most glamours fish and chips I will ever have. I was a little late thanks to karen (my GPS) who insisted that I 'kept right' rather than 'turned right' and then got cranky when I didn't turn! Silly karen. But eventually I made it and got to have a great night with Dusty, Jess, Dave, Mum, Dad and Jake.

So Dusty...even though I didn't really like you when you first came along, and thought you would be better used as a trampoline, I have learned to love you! You are an absolutly top bloke, and as much as I hate to admit it, pretty funny. Thanks for all the laughs and fun we have had. Thanks for helping me to toughen up through all the tears, and thanks for letting me boss you around for as long as you could stand it. I wish you all the best in everything that you do, I know that you are going to be super successful, coz again, as much as I hate to admit it, you are very wise. Happy 21st Birthday Dusty! I love ya stacks

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Don't watch murder mystries late at night...

There is one thing that you think I would have learned by now...when you are a bit of a sooky sooky la la like me...you shouldn't want murder mystry programs late at night!


Tonight, Barb and Lorraine came over for tea and after tea together we watched the double episodes of City Homoside that were on...which I love. This was all fine and good, I wasn't stressed about anything, didn't let it get to me at all. Auntie barb and Auntie lorraine went home and then I did something stupid...I watched Dexter...no, not my dog (he is on a holiday in Melboure), dexter the TV show, which i also love. However, I had forgotten the promise I had made to myself not to watch things like this late at night...Dexter was for daylight hours only.

So once Dexter was finished, i watched another program on TV, just to help me forget what I had seen during Dexter...and thats when everything went wrong.


By this stage it was about midnight and I was just about ready to turn in for the night when I heard a car door shut at first I ignored it, maybe it was something else i convinced my self and started getting ready for bed. Then I heard it again, not a big deal, its just a car, but the thing was the sound was coming from behind my house...on the property, which is a pretty isolated part of the street. I had a think...my land lord was away and wasn't due back for another week or so. Barb and Lorraine had left about an hour ago and hadn't left anything behind. I wasn't expecting any visitors. I had no idea who it could be...so naturally after watching 3 murder mysteries tonight I started to panic.


The thing is when I panic, I get a little irrational. So because I couldn't see out the back of my house without drawing attention to myself, I went into my tiny, dark, freezing cold bathroom and peered out the window in there, where I couldn't really see much, just my front door and the back of the landlord's place. And there I waited...until I could see who it was. Suddenly the the sensor light came on out the back of the landlord's house and i saw my mystery person walk into the light....(is the suspense killing you yet?)


It turns out it was just my landlord home early from his trip, so feeling adequatly stupid, but still high on adreniline I turned on the light, cleaned my teeth and went to bed. I think next time I will leave the murder mysteries for the daylight hours.


I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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Wet Dogs

Now I know you were all wondering...but yes, both Dexter and I made it through the week...but because I have a short week at work this week, he is taking a little holiday with 'Nana'.

Anyway, something that I find very funny is wet dogs...they stink, but they look hilarious and tonight we gave Dex his first bath. Here is what happened....

Step 1: Getting in the Bath - Most dogs love water, maybe its something that comes with age, but actually getting Dex into the sink was a challenage in itself. Check out the acrobatic moves he can do. Step 2: The Wash - This is the bit that cracks me up...seriously, how can dogs look so terrible wet? Dexter all wet kind of looks like a cross between and angry old asian man and a seal...seriously look...can you see it? Classic...so funny looking.
Step 3: Drying - Well after the bath you need to get dry using a hair dryer of course...and that makes dogs very very fluffy and a little like a powder puff...and by the look of the photo a little grumpy!
Seriously...wet dogs....hilarious!

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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YA retreat

Now before I say anything else, I have something to confess, as much as I love all the young adults from Box Hill Salvos I was not at all excited about the Young Adults retreat. I just couldn't be bothered, it was going to take a while to get there and I was so tired and I had had a really crap week and all I really wanted to do was either crawl into a hole and let the time go by, or curl up on the couch with a DVD...but because I can't say no and I felt guilt for even thinking about trying, today I spent the day down in Sorrento at the Young Adults treat and I had a really ripper time.


I think that what actually helped the most was the fact that I removed myself from the things that were currently 'my life' if that makes sense. I was in a completely different town, far away from my house in Castlemaine, or the one in Melbourne and I didn't have any work stuff with me, kids church stuff or even my laptop. I was removed from the things that were currently stressing my out. And because I was removed I had a chance to just chill and it was really really nice.


I find it really difficult to actually stop, I think for my whole life I have had the thought there is always something that I need to be doing...even if its stupid, like getting my blog up to date. It is very rare that I would actually just stop and breathe and chill and I really think that I need to start doing it more. In fact I know that I do.


Here is the thing though...often when I have tried to do nothing in the past, people in my house have told me that I am being lazy, or have been annoyed at me and have generally just not understood what I was trying to do. I think the reason they do this is because they are not very good at stopping either. However I am definitely starting to learn the blessings that come from a Day of rest, especially those spent with people who build you up, or enjoying God's creation.


On the radio last night, on light FM, they were talking about this idea of Sabbath life and the blessings that come and I think that it is something that I would like to embrace...I am not sure how yet, but I can definitely see the potential.


Anyway, I am really glad that I went on the retreat and I am really glad that I have people in my life who are happy just to hang out...thanks for helping me to (in true gen Y style) 'chilax'!


I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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A moment in time

Today there was a very special moment in time...seriously, just a moment. it was like nothing I have ever seen before and I don't know how long it will be before it happens again, but I am pretty sure it won't be in my life time.

I am one of those werid people that loves when numbers on things are in order, like when the speedo reads '123 456kms' or when its 3:45pm and because I love really silly things like that, Davo made my day by texting me to remind to watch my clock for a very special moment in time.

Today on the clock I got to see 12:34pm and 56seconds on the 7th of the 8th 2009... Just take a moment to take it all in....

12:36:56 07/08/09

Numbers 1-9 all lined up...just for me...it was amazing!

So at lunch today I sat in front of the computer so that I could capture it for you on my camera phone...so here it is just for you to enjoy....

Sorry its a bit blurry...I was a bit excited and I had to make sure I didn't miss it...after all it was only a moment.

I guess that's just all part of the adventure!

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